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I've had a few days to reflect on my first round exit from the UK Championship where I lost 9-7 to Mark Williams, and while of course I'm disappointed I'm not too disheartened because I still feel like my game is in good shape.

I really feel that I didn't do too much wrong against Mark and have to give him credit because I felt he played tremendously well. It was always going to be a tough match and I was unlucky to come up against such a strong opponent.

I went 3-1 up early, and was lucky to do that, as in one frame I came back from a snooker down, but after that there was a spell where I barely got a chance and all of a sudden I was 7-3 down.

After that I played some great stuff and won four frames in a row, including three centuries on the bounce, and back at 7-7 I was feeling confident that I would go on and win the match.

The initiative was certainly with me and I think against nearly any other player I would have finished the job. But Mark is just such an experienced player and I guess he was ready for me.

There were a fair few scrappy, long drawn-out frames in the match and he seemed to win most of them, while most of my frames came from big breaks.

I had one half-chance on 7-7 and if I had taken that then maybe I would have gone on and won the match - but it wasn't to be.

Still, as I said, I'm happy with the way that I'm playing and I'm confident the good results will come. Maybe I just need a little bit more luck and for the run of the balls to go my way.

I can still be very happy when I look back on 2008 though, as I've won two rankings events, finished second in the Premier League and have maintained my world ranking position of four.

Obviously I might drop down a bit after the UK Championship but I believe my game is in the right shape to move back up.

As for Mark, he has since gone on to beat Graeme Dott and looks to be back to his best. I think the secret to his success is just hard work. I read in one interview that he has been practising for 11 or 12 hours a day and you can also see that his self-belief is really starting to come back.

Elsewhere in Telford, there have been a lot of stories coming out of this UK Championship and unfortunately not all of them have been good for the game.

I find it hard to believe that there is anything in this reported betting scandal involving Jamie Burnett and Stephen Maguire.

I just don't think it is in a snooker player's nature - you look at somebody like Stephen Maguire and there is just no reason for him to be involved in anything like that. There is far too much to lose.

Every player wants to progress in the event, Stephen is ranked number two in the world and there are ranking points up for grabs. There is so much at stake, and you can't help it if other people put bets on the match.

Thankfully nothing like this has ever occurred in any of my matches and I can honestly say that nobody has ever approached me looking to fix a match in any way.

A lot has also been made of Ronnie O'Sullivan conceding a frame while only 23-0 down during his match against Joe Perry.

I just think it was a heat of the moment thing from Ronnie. I've been practising a bit with Joe recently and he really is a fantastic player. I just think Ronnie got a little frustrated that Joe was playing so well and conceding that frame was the best way for him to release that frustration.

I don't think Ronnie goes out to do these sorts of things, but there is always extra pressure on him because so many fans come out specifically to watch him play.

In better news, it was great to see Ding Junhui get a 147 against John Higgins. I have never managed one in tournament play myself but I have been in the chair when other people have done it against me.

When the maximum starts to develop for your opponent you don't want them to do it until the frame is lost; you are still hoping they miss so you can get back in. But once they get to 75 or 80 points you really start rooting for them.

I remember Mark King coming close to getting one against me a few years ago, and also Peter Ebdon, and you are gutted for them if they come up just short.

As for the closest I've got to a 147? Well I'm not sure - I think I managed to get to 17 once!

Now from some of your questions:

Guinnessman68 asked if I have given up pool for good now.

I have more or less given up playing at a competitive level to concentrate on snooker. I do play the odd exhibition game but I have had to knock the tournaments on the head unfortunately.

Snookercue has a big tournament coming up, is worried about feeling nervous and wants some advice.

All I would say is to go out and try and enjoy yourself. Try and play in the same way that you would in a practice round. Obviously it is impossible to do this completely, but the key thing is not to try too hard. If you try changing your game you won't feel relaxed and your natural game won't come.

Uhumail2000 has a question about my technique and asks what am I doing when I move my body over a shot in a swaying motion?

A few people have pointed this out to me and the answer is I don't know why I do it. Obviously, I have seen myself doing it on tape but when I'm playing it feels like I'm perfectly still. It has worked out okay for me though so I don't intend changing it.

Michael from Ireland asked me why I think it is so difficult for players who drop out of the top 16 to get back up the rankings.

I think it is very difficult for them because the environment changes so much. There are so many good players in the qualifiers and when you have to go to play them in Prestatyn you are really going into their backyard, where beforehand it was always the opposite. The players that drop out have been playing and winning trophies in front of thousands of people for years and they get a buzz off that. To then play in front of four or five people in a cubicle is very difficult. It is very hard for them to get up for the match while their opponent is probably used to it.

Finally, I was asked when am I going to appear on Top Gear after passing my driving test recently.

Well it is something I would like to try in the future but it won't be for awhile yet. I'm still very much a 10-to-two driver!

Mark Selby is ranked number four in the snooker world rankings and in 2006 he won the World Eightball Pool Championship. Have you got a question you would like to ask him? If so, just leave a comment below and he will try to answer it in his next blog.

Mark Selby / Eurosport